Arctic campaign leader happy at medal victory

ARCTIC Medal campaign leader Eddie Grenfell says he is ‘very happy’ that the Government will finally recognise the bravery of convoy men in the Second World War.

Today Prime Minister David Cameron announced that he has recommended the Honours and Decorations Committee proceed with awarding the Arctic Convoy Medal, subject to approval by the Queen, after a report by former diplomat Sir John Holmes.

Cdr Eddie Grenfell

Commander Grenfell, who lives in Portsmouth and has led the medal campaign for almost 20 years, told The News: ‘I am pleased to think that this most dreadful campaign in the Arctic has, at last, been recognised.

‘I am sorry that some of my Arctic friends are no longer with us to receive the medal.

‘I wouldn’t say it’s a surprise because although we’ve been kept waiting all this time I knew that one day they had to give in, because they were clinging to rules that had been broken so often that how could they possibly go on, year after year, quoting these rules as a reason for not giving an Arctic medal.

‘You’ve no idea the sense of relief I am enjoying because I know we deserve it and I know that there are Arctic veterans, thank God, still alive all over the country who will be very happy today.

‘There are some of them whose families will be happy but they will not be too happy because the veterans are not there to receive it, they’re gone.’